Preparation for Lent

kayte

Well-Known Member
These are two excerpts from two
different blogs but the purpose is
the same..to open a dialogue about preparations for Lent ...

Personally I am praying for guidance :yep:


Excerpt 1
Do you want to talk about what you’re doing for Lent?

Or would you prefer to keep that a secret?

Hey, I am all about helping one another along the path of sanctity…and that’s what Lent is for, of course—growing in holiness and drawing closer to Our Lord. There is a world of good that we can do with our penances, if only we focus on doing them for God and not self-improvement.

And for me, that’s the hardest part.

So often my Lenten list of penances reads like a “To Do” list of dream behaviors:


Give up coffee.
  • Give up sugar.
  • Heck, eat less in general!
…and by now, you get the picture!

I dream big and fail often, all because my goals are too high. What little gifts can I give to Our Lord to thank Him for what He did for me? Those little gifts add up, I know.

So there’s where I’m at in preparation for Ash Wednesday. If you’d like to talk about your spiritual goals, feel free; I’d love to hear them! What do you plan to give up for Our Lord? What do you plan to do for Him?

It's so personal
That's why we really shouldn't debate about the "right things" to give up for Lent.

If giving it up will help you grow closer to God, then it's the right thing.

All for the greater glory of God,




Excerpt 2
Lent is fast approaching (pun intended). As we all know, "lent" comes from the Latin word "lentus" which means "to diet." Just kidding. Seriously, though, some of us look at Lent as nothing more than a Catholic diet: we fast on two days and eat meat only 6 days of the week (oh, the humanity of it all!) in addition to giving up potato chips or soda.

The purpose of Lent, however, is to bring us back to Christ. The word actually comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "lente" meaning "springtime". We are to have a new springtime (=rebirth) to Christ. We have two revials every year. They are known as the penitential seasons of Lent and Advent. Let's make this year a true revival of both our own spiritual life and of the universal Church!


A blessed Lent to us all
 

kayte

Well-Known Member
I'm looking at attending a service everyday during the forty days including a lay on hands service on Fridays,....fasting,...

not sure what else
I hope to learn from other members plans
 

kayte

Well-Known Member
Tommorow is the first day of Lent...


Lent 2009
A Call to Prayer and Fasting
February 25 – April 11, 2009

“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly.
Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the
house of the LORD your God, and cry out to the LORD.”
Joel 1:14 NIV

On Wednesday, February 25, 2009, we begin a season of prayer and fasting for forty days leading up to Easter Sunday, April 12, 2009. This season of prayer and fasting is in the spirit of Lent, an ancient Christian tradition still practiced today by millions of Christians today. For centuries, Lent has been a spiritual journey of reflection, confession, repentance, and seeking the God’s face. It begins on Ash Wednesday, when Christians would traditionally rub ashes on their foreheads or stick a burned stick in their sock as a sign of repentance and sorrow for sin. The forty days of Lent seeks to identify with the forty days Jesus spent fasting in the desert before he began his public ministry.

This call to prayer and fasting is not a requirement. It is a tool for those who are ready for a deeper and closer walk with Jesus. There are no set days for prayer. There are no set parameters for fasting. Feel free to pray and fast as the Lord directs you. The forty days does not include the Sundays between February 25 and April 11. Every Sunday is a day to celebrate the resurrection leading up to the ultimate day of resurrection celebration, Easter Sunday. Below are some questions and answers to help guide you during this time. I believe this can be a tremendous time of spiritual growth and transformation .

Join us on the journey!

Pastor Derek Vreeland


Common Questions about Lent

What is Lent?
Lent is a forty day season of fasting and prayer for Christians. It comes from an Old English word meaning “Spring.” Lent is currently observed by Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, and Anglican denominations. Historically, it has been a time of self-denial by observing four spiritual disciplines—fasting, prayer, financial giving, and Scripture reading. This is the second year our church has been practicing Lent.

How did the practice of Lent get started?

For the first couple hundred years of the Church it was common for new believers to be baptized on Easter Sunday. Early church documents describe a process of fasting and prayer leading up to their baptism. Times of fasting varied in the early church from a few days to a few weeks. The Council of Nicaea in 325 AD discussed a forty day period of fasting before Easter, which eventually grew into a tradition of all Christians participating in the forty day fast.

Does the Bible talk about Lent?

No. The Scripture talks about fasting and prayer over various lengths of time, but it doesn’t specifically mention the tradition of Lent as we know it today.

Doesn’t the Bible talk about the dangers of trading the traditions of man for the commandments of God? If Lent is a “tradition of man” and not a “commandment God,” then why should I participate?

All churches have traditions. Even contemporary, non-denominational churches like ours have traditions; we just don’t always publicize them! Traditions are not necessarily a bad thing. It is bad if you ignore God’s clear commandment when you try to follow a certain tradition. As a historic spiritual discipline, Lent is a tool to assist you in walking the Jesus way and thus fulfilling God’s commandment. It is always our goal in any tradition to obey God, bring glory to God, and establish God’s kingdom –God’s way of living—in people.

Am I becoming more Catholic if I practice Lent?

No. Don’t be silly. In fact, give me 10 “Our Fathers” for even asking.:grin: Seriously, the practice of Lent has little to do with your theology. Lent is a spiritual discipline to help us live the Jesus way. It is designed to put you in a place where the Holy Spirit can continue to transform you into the image of Jesus. This process makes God the Father happy. Lent is much more about your experience with God than your theology about God and the Church.
Are there any rules for doing Lent correctly?

Various Christian denominations practice Lent differently. There is no “right way” to do Lent. Furthermore, trying to do Lent correctly is to miss the point altogether.
The purpose of Lent is not the tradition itself, but your relationship with God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is the purpose not the tradition of the Lenten season. Feel free to pray and fast whenever and however you choose. Maybe you want to fast one day, two days, or three days. Maybe you want to choose to fast one meal a week. Maybe you will set aside a special time for prayer once a day, twice a day, or once a week. It really doesn’t matter. How you fast and pray is between you and God.

Why do people talk about “giving something up” for Lent?

It has become a common practice for people to “give something up” for Lent. This concept comes from the idea of fasting during the forty days of Lent. Traditionally and biblically, fasting refers to giving up food for a certain amount of time. Nevertheless, it has become widely accepted to apply the practice of fasting to anything kind of habit. It is often helpful to fast television or sports or shopping or other “comforts” as a part of your season of prayer and fasting.



Common Questions about Fasting

What is fasting?

Fasting is the spiritual discipline of abstaining from food for a certain amount of time in order to focus on spiritual matters.

Fasting is NOT a commandment.
Fasting is NOT a diet plan.
Fasting is NOT a way to show other people how spiritual you are.
Fasting is NOT a way to prove to God how spiritual you are.
Fasting is NOT a hunger strike.
Fasting is NOT a way to get God to do what you want.

Fasting is a way to focus on God.
Fasting is a way to expose your sin and fallenness.
Fasting is a way to become fully human and fully alive.
Fasting is a way to focus on the Spirit’s work of spiritual transformation.

“More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that control us. This is a wonderful benefit to the true disciple who longs to be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately.”
—Richard Foster
Celebration of Discipline
 

GV-NA-GI-TLV-GE-I

New Member
How did the practice of Lent get started?


Ask a priest and you get theological discussion on what Lent is. Ask a catholic parishoner and it's "start starving on Fridays and pick out Easter Sunday." LOLOL! Ask them why they have to give up meat and fast on Ash Wednesday and it's "I don't know???" This was a good post. I need to pass this onto someone who asked me today.
 

Shinka

Well-Known Member
Lent is giving up what controls us...hmmm

I think I will participate in lent this year. I got the book a lady in waiting.

My Lent: I'm giving up not honoring my "self"- which to me is BODY, MIND, Spirit

I will be celibate for these 40 days, no matter the consequence and for Jesus! ( Body)

I will read a spiritual text everyday for 40 days. (Spirit)

I will treat my body as temple by walking at least 2 miles everyday for for days ( This means I giving up over- sleeping which is a way I avoid problems and it positively reduces my bouts with depression, anxiety and stress). ( Mind)
 
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